Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez targets League Cup glory

Rafa Benitez has set his sights on his first piece of silverware with Chelsea

Leeds 1 Chelsea 5

But the interim boss warned his rampant Blues they face a tough task to make the Wembley final after being paired with Swansea.

Chelsea shook off the effects of jet lag to seal their place in the next round with a stunning five-goal second-half blitz to sink brave Leeds.

Benitez's men will host the Swans in the first leg in early January and the Spaniard said: "Any semi-final of a major competition is difficult.

"We know we're up against a team who try to play football on the floor and keep the ball. They are doing well right now so it will be an interesting tie. To win trophies is important for any manager.

"We're a game closer to the final at Wembley, so we'll concentrate on that game when it comes.

"We take every competition seriously and a top side has to try to win every competition."

The European champions took the first half to overcome the effects of their gruelling 13-hour return flight from the Club World Cup final defeat in Japan, falling behind to Luciano Becchio's 15th goal of the season.

But they hit back with goals from Juan Mata, Branislav Ivanovic, Victor Moses, Eden Harzard and Fernando Torres.

The comeback was sparked by a half-time pep-talk between the players, and skipper Frank Lampard said: "We had a word with ourselves at half-time, and upped it because in the first half we weren't at our best.

"We were a bit slow with the tempo of the game and we gave away a silly goal that allowed them to score. Once we upped it with a bit of pace in our game you could see a big difference."

Lampard refused to use jet lag as an excuse for Chelsea's sluggish start, adding: "We didn't make the greatest preparation but there's no excuse, we had to up it.

"The early goal after the restart gave us the impetus. We believed from then on and we didn't think we could lose the game. Some of the football we played... we opened them up and showed what we could do."

Neil Warnock paid tribute to his Leeds players, insisting the final score was harsh on his Championship battlers.

More than 36,000 fans braved a rain-swept night, and the Elland Road boss added: "The scoreline doesn't reflect the game, but I've no complaints and we can take plenty of positives. It was a great occasion.